extrapolate

verb

ex·​trap·​o·​late ik-ˈstra-pə-ˌlāt 

extrapolated; extrapolating

transitive verb

1

a

: to predict by projecting past experience or known data

Party officials extrapolated public sentiment on one issue from known public reaction on others.

b

: to project, extend, or expand (known data or experience) into an area not known or experienced so as to arrive at a usually conjectural knowledge of the unknown area

Researchers extrapolate present trends to construct an image of the future.

2

: to infer (values of a variable in an unobserved interval) from values within an already observed interval

intransitive verb

: to perform the act or process of extrapolating

extrapolation

ik-ˌstra-pə-ˈlā-shən 

noun

extrapolative

ik-ˈstra-pə-ˌlā-tiv 

adjective

extrapolator

ik-ˈstra-pə-ˌlā-tər 

noun

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The Many Uses of Extrapolate

Scientists worry about the greenhouse effect because they have extrapolated the rate of carbon-dioxide buildup and predicted that its effect on the atmosphere will become increasingly severe. On the basis of their extrapolations, they have urged governments and businesses to limit factory and automobile emissions. Notice that it's acceptable to speak of extrapolating existing data (to produce new data), extrapolating from existing data (to produce new data), or extrapolating new data (from existing data)—in other words, it isn't easy to use this word wrong.

Synonyms of extrapolate

• derive
• understand
• decide
• infer

Examples of extrapolate in a Sentence

We can extrapolate the number of new students entering next year by looking at how many entered in previous years.

With such a small study it is impossible to extrapolate accurately.

Recent Examples on the Web

Researchers were able to extrapolate sales data from those models. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025

These puzzles, like the horizon problem, the flatness problem, and the monopole problem, strongly suggested that the hot, dense, early state couldn’t be extrapolated to arbitrarily high temperatures and energies. —Big Think, 22 Oct. 2025

The scientists extrapolated its remains to estimate that the dinosaur was about 23 feet in length and weighed more than 2,200 pounds, according to the paper. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2025

Humans build mental models that can extrapolate from relatively small amounts of data. —Stephen Cass, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin extra outside + English -polate (as in interpolate) — more at extra-

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Rhymes for extrapolate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

extrapolate

verb

ex·​trap·​o·​late ik-ˈstrap-ə-ˌlāt 

extrapolated; extrapolating

: to work out unknown facts from known facts

extrapolation

-ˌstrap-ə-ˈlā-shən 

noun

extrapolator

-ˈstrap-ə-ˌlāt-ər 

noun